Bright bike helmet goes in for "low" lighting

When riding trails at night, mountain bikers typically have one headlight mounted on their handlebars and another one on their helmet. That helmet-mounted light often sticks up like a sore thumb, however, where it can potentially smack into things such as overhanging branches. Torch Apparel is addressing the situation with its new Torch M1 helmet, which features a low-profile integrated headlight.

The company previously developed a commuter-oriented helmet called the Torch T1 (followed by the T2), which features front and rear light panels that help the rider be seen by traffic. By contrast, the M1 features an honest-to-goodness headlight, which lights up the ground in the front of the rider with up to 500 lumens of light in a 30-degree spread. It does also have a tail light, for use on the street.

The water-resistant aluminum-bodied light can be removed from the helmet when not needed, or to recharge its lithium-polymer battery. One three-hour USB charge should be good for 1.5 hours of use at maximum output, although there are also less power-hungry 250- and 100-lumen settings, along with a pulse mode that can be used for up to eight hours of road riding.

As far as the helmet itself goes, it meets US and European safety standards, and features a removable adjustable visor, 16 vents, a polycarbonate shell and an EPS foam liner.

It's currently the subject of an Indiegogo campaign, where a pledge of US$99 will get you one – when and if it reaches production, that is. The planned retail price is $200.